Blooming Love
by thedreamz
Summary: .::NEW ENDING::. Katara is captured by none other than Prince Zuko. He plans to use her as bait for Aang to come and attempt to rescue her. Little do the two teens know that they will soon fall for each other.
1. Capture

Chapter One: **C_apt_ure**

"Ow! Let GO of me!" Katara screams were forced to become muffles as a shadowy figure covered her mouth and dragged her away from her friends. Aang, the last airbender alive and the one and only Avatar was sound asleep as was her sometimes annoying brother Sokka. She desperately searched through her mind to see if she could think up anything. Sighing, she stopped struggling, knowing that it was no use. She'd better save her strength in case she had a chance to escape. There was on question on her mind, however. _Who was trying to take her away?_ She couldn't tell, but she had a strange feeling that this person was someone very familiar.

Someone placed a blindfold over her eyes so she couldn't see where she was headed. Hoping they wouldn't do anything thing fatal to her, she walked on blindly. Someone's, most likely a male's hand, held on to her wrist firmly so she couldn't break away from them. "Where are you taking me?" She suddenly inquired. "Somewhere…" A definite male voice replied. "Somewhere where your friend, the Avatar, can find and attempt to rescue you." Katara sighed and asked, "Who are you, then?" She felt her feet step on a slanted surface that made a clanking noise every time she took a step. He didn't answer but led her further. She shivered slightly, adjusting to the more comfortable, warm temperature. Finally she felt him stop and heard a click, like someone locking a door. A cold hand brushed across her cheek and a cold shiver ran up her spine. The blindfold was taken off of her face. Her kidnapper had let go of her hands as well.

"Zuko." She murmured softly, recognizing the strange scar around his left eye. He didn't look terribly mean right now. Just had a serious look on his face. Katara stepped back and looked around the room they were in. Surprisingly, the room didn't look at all like a prison cell. More like someone's living quarters. It had an elegant four-poster canopy bed with a bedside table. A desk sat in the corner with two tall candles standing on either side of a mirror just above the desk. The chair was beautifully carved of a rare-looking wood. Elegant paintings of scenery were hung on several places in the room. "Our new ship doesn't have any prison cells. The old one had more but you remember the pirates that stole it." He quickly explained. "Don't think that you're getting any special treatment or anything just because you're not in a cold, empty cell." With that, he unlocked the door, stepped outside, and locked it.

Katara stood for a few minutes to be sure that he had left, and tried to open the door. There was a lock on the inside and she unlocked it. She twisted the doorknob and tried to open the door, but figured that there must be a stronger lock on the outside. With a sigh, she took off her boots and climbed into bed. "I may as well get some sleep. I hope that Aang and Sokka aren't coming after me. After all, how could this place possibly be that terrible? I mean, I'm not cold. I'll escape somehow." And that was that.

* * *

**mo_rnin_g** +

* * *

"Katara!" Sokka shouted. "Katara!" Aang flew high up the trees of the forest in search of his companion, Katara. After over an hour of looking and yelling, Sokka and Aang met. "I didn't find anything." Aang said, scratching the back of his head. Sokka wasn't paying attention. "Firebenders." He pointed at a tree nearby that had a burnt mark on it. Aang nodded. "I know exactly who took her. Come on Sokka! We gotta catch them!" He grabbed the teenager's arm and they climbed on Appa the flying bison. "Yip yip!" Aang shook the reins as Sokka held Momo in his arms. "When we find those firebenders, they're going to pay for taking my sister!" His eye twitched as he let out his anger.

"Well, Sokka. It'll probably be a while until we catch up to them. We don't know which they we went and they had plenty of time while we were sleeping to capture Katara and take her with them. We just have to hope that she isn't too lonely and that she's being treated with great care." Aang leaned on Appa's head. All Sokka did was groan. After several minutes, he said, "Oh, the firebenders taking great care of a waterbender? Especially one that is an acquaintance of the Avatar? I think _not_!" After this comment, they rode in silence, Aang occasionally letting Appa swoop down to see if he could catch a glimpse of a fire kingdom ship.

* * *

Katara rose from her bed and into a sitting position. Eyes still closed, she yawned and stretched her arms. Her blue eyes were partially open and she bent down to a pail of water. She cupped her hands gently together and dipped her hands in to the water. She brought up some water and washed off her face. Her hand felt around for a towel and grabbed the first soft thing she felt. After wiping her face thoroughly, she let it drop and fell back in fright when she looked up. Instead of taking a cloth to wipe her face, she had taken part of Prince Zuko's uniform and used it. He stood hovering above her, a smirk on his face. In his hands, he held a tray with a hot meal on it. When she stood up, he placed it in her hands. "The cook refuses to serve anything but hot, delicious meals. We don't have anything else. Now as for my outfit. You've spoiled it so I suppose I have to change now." Katara raised an eyebrow. "So… bye then." She turned and set the tray on the desk. When she turned to thank him for the food, he was naked except for the pants he wore under his uniform. Her eyes couldn't help but stray to his nice chest. Muscular and perfect from training with his uncle to go against the Avatar.

Zuko chuckled softly and threw his uniform to her. "Keep that. I have no use for it anymore." He reached into a small closet in the room and pulled on another one. "This used to be my room, you know." He remarked more to no one than to her. "Enjoy your breakfast." He swiftly walked out the door, closed it and remembered to lock it as well.

Looking down at the floor, Katara was blushing. She waited a moment as she thought about how strange she felt when his bare chest had been exposed. Feeling like someone else was controlling her, she silently ate her food and curled up in the blankets of her bed. It was quite warm indeed, compared to the freezing outside temperatures. _Have Aang and Sokka woken up yet? Did they figure out I was captured by firebenders? Did they think I got lost?_ Pondering this, Katara stared into space and thought about how she could escape. She didn't want her brother and the Avatar, her friend, to get hurt.


	2. A Kind Zuko?

Chapter Two: **A.._Kind_ Zu_ko_?**

She didn't know it, but Katara had been lying in her bed for three hours. She had been thinking about what her plans would be to escape. And how she would do it. Firebenders were quite dangerous. Although water beats fire, she hadn't mastered her waterbending skills and the people on this ship have had years to train and probably had someone to teach them. She pulled off the covers and stepped onto the carpet. _Was that there before?_ She stood in front of a fairly large window. Apparently, she hadn't noticed it in the beginning. Her eyes stared out into the sea, and then toward the distant shore. It was slowly disappearing as they moved farther and farther away.

Prince Zuko opened the door quietly and closed it behind him. He stood there for a moment, awed at how calm Katara looked despite her circumstances. Finally, he slowly approached her and placed a gentle, but all the same firm hand on her should. Her body jerked away from him immediately.. "You startled me." She clapped her hand over her chest and closed her eyes for a while, taking a deep breath. "It's lunchtime." He replied and took her wrist. Again, it was a firm, strong grip. He strode beside her, instead of forcing her to follow him. "Uncle Iroh is a pig." He abruptly declared. "He ordered our cook to make a huge feast so I don't think dinner will be a problem." He seemed to put a bit of humor in this, though one couldn't tell by his serious voice. It was like he was always telling excuses about everything. The nice room, decent breakfast, and now a feast for lunch.

They soon entered a large room, decorated with beautiful priceless tapestries. Without knowing it, her hand slipped out of Zuko's grasp and she walked up to a tapestry, awed by it's beauty. Having his back turned, Zuko turned, alarmed. He thought that she was going to try and escape. He calmed down when he saw that she was just studying the tapestries. Katara gasped loudly. "Oh my goodness…Is this…?" She turned around to face him, gesturing toward a certain tapestry that had a scene of the previous Avatar aiding a water tribe. "Yes." Zuko nodded. "That was painted by a waterbender from a water tribe. Uncle has a strange taste in these things. He always chooses the decorations for everything. But I must admit, this is a good one. We got it for over fifteen thousand gold coins."

"This tapestry…" Katara scanned the work of art for some sort of a trademark, or signature that announced who had created this. She found one on the bottom right hand corner. Her hand reached over to it and brushed against the fine material. "My mother made this…" She smiled and her whole face began to brighten up. Zuko couldn't help but let his usually frowning mouth turn into a slight smile as well.

"Lunchtime!" Iroh announced and plopped noisily down on a chair seated next to a large, throne-like one. This certain chair was made of pure gold and the seat was made of one of the best material ever. Prince Zuko walked to the seat next to the throne-like chair and across from his uncle. Katara decided to follow, not knowing where to sit. She thought that he'd sit there, but instead he pulled the chair back a little and gestured for her to sit. Obediently, she sat down. "Thank you." He gave her a quick nod and sat in the elegant chair next to her's. "Let the feast begin."

* * *

+ After Lunch +

* * *

"Mhhmuhmmm…" Uncle Iroh mumbled in his sleep as he snored loudly. Everyone had just about finished eating and he, Zuko, and Katara were the last at the long table. Zuko stood and motioned to her with his hand. "Come." Katara rose from her seat and followed him out of the room the way they had come in. She couldn't help but think that they were treating her much too kindly. Especially for people from the fire nation. "Uh.." She poked him in the shoulder and stammered, wondering what to call him. Zuko seemed too friendly and Prince Zuko seemed to formal. He had no other names that she knew of.

"Zuko." He said to her, as if reading her mind. "You may call me Zuko." Katara felt her cheeks grow warm. "Zuko…" It felt weird to be saying his name. "Zuko, do you mind if you take me around the ship or something? I get a little bored in my, er, room." She stared down at her feet as she spoke. He laughed, the first cheerful thing she'd heard all day. "Sure. But you wouldn't want to look around here. It's just as boring. I'll take you outside." It was weird to see him so…Happy.. _Oh well._ Katara shrugged and followed him out to the deck. She took a deep breath, just happy to be out in the fresh air. Zuko took her hand, making her blush even though it was probably to make sure she couldn't run away. Although who would want to jump into the icy ocean?

Author's Note: Hey, sorry that this chapter is so short. 10 minutes until 11 PM and I have school tomorrow. I'm going to be really cranky tomorrow. XDD Thanks to my first two reviewers WHOO! XPP

Silvertails--- Hey this is already a good start! This can definitely lead to places! Keep it up! I'll be looking forward to upcoming chapters! I would like to read your Harry Potter stories as well sometime.

_**Me--- I'd really really love to let you read them, but they're all on Death-Curse's fanfiction site and I haven't saved it. I think that Death-Curse deleted the site, last time I checked. Sorry. 3**_


	3. Sudden Ice

Chapter Three: **Su_dden_ Ice**

Loud bursts of laughter sprang through the air. Katara clutched her stomach, bent over and giggling. Zuko stood beside her, laughing softly. Near them stood several firebender guards with frowns on their faces. Katara had managed to get them wet by waterbending some ocean water onto them. Before this, she was almost bored to death. The guards shook there heads and walked away angrily. "I must admit, Katara. You've definitely made this place livelier." Prince Zuko smiled at her, something he didn't do very often. She grinned back and leaned against the railings of the ship. Staring into the depths of the water, she couldn't help but wonder if what she was doing was wrong. She shouldn't be acting kindly toward a firebender. Particularly one that had made several attempts to capture Aang and bring him to the Fire Lord.

Zuko's gaze rested upon her. He'd never felt so…strange. He felt joyous. Never in his life had he felt this way. Ever since his father had banished him from the fire nation, he was heartbroken and this made him want to do anything to earn back the respect of his father. Not once did he smile. Not once did he feel happy. Not once until now. Was this telling him something? He sat on a metal chair and put his head in his hands, thinking. _How could his father have been so mean to him?_ "Hey. Are you okay?" Katara sat in the seat next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. Her voice was soothing and sounded like she really cared. But no one cared about him. No one could. And he couldn't care about anyone either.

"I'm fine." He snapped at her and stood, brushing her hand off his shoulder. Within moments, he stalked back inside the ship leaving Katara looking and feeling confused. Did she do something wrong? She sighed and gazed out at the horizon. Were her friends searching for her? She hoped that she could at least convince Zuko not to go through with this. She'd do anything to keep her dear friend and brother away from all harm. But she couldn't go talk to him now. All she could do was wait. Wait until the right time when hopefully they were friendlier to one another.

Standing, she brushed her hair from her face and headed back to her room. It was surprising that he trusted her enough to leave her alone. Or maybe he got caught up in the moment and forgot about his duty. She opened her door and stepped inside. Her body bounced on the bed when she threw herself onto it and she lay staring at the ceiling. Hopefully, things would get better soon and she could speak to Zuko about leaving Aang alone. She didn't understand why he was trying so hard to hurt him. There was no reason to except that if Aang got too powerful, the fire nation would fall. She knew that there was a softer side to him. She just had to find it.

* * *

"Come on, Aang! We've been searching for hours and in starving!" Sokka's stomach growled, a sign that he was hungry. Aang shook his head. "We can't go back now, Sokka. It'll take over an hour to get back to the shore and we need to find Katara!" Sokka pet his stomach and sighed. He needed to save his only sister but he couldn't save anyone on an empty stomach. "Hey, look!" Aang stood and pointed into the distance. A small speck with smoke coming from the top was just barely visible. "Finally, we found them." The cranky brother commented and pounded his fist on Appa's back. "Can't you go any faster?"

Appa grunted but continued his slow pace. "He's tired." Aang explained and threw his arms around Appa's neck. "Aren't you, boy? Aren't you?" He cooed and laughed in his usual joyful way. Sokka groaned and flailed his arms up empathetically. "Will you please not do that? It's really weird.." He crossed his arms and sat cross-legged. The ship wasn't getting any closer. "WILL YOUR STUPID BISON GO ANY FASTER?" He shouted and started to bang on Appa's back. "Go you stupid animal!" Aang shook his head. "Come on Sokka, don't be mean." With a sigh, Sokka nodded. "Sorry Appa. I'm just so freakin' hungry!" He fell onto his back and frowned.

* * *

Zuko walked into his own room and slammed the door shut. The room vibrated for mere seconds. "Prince Zuko.." His uncle stood in front of him with a very serious expression on his face. "I think that you are getting too friendly with this Katara girl. You know that she is your enemy." Zuko glared at the old man. "I know, Uncle. I just can't help it. She's innocent, Uncle. The only person I'm after is the Avatar and there is no reason to hurt her just to capture him. Besides, it is less likely that she will try to escape if I am being kinder to her." Uncle Iroh slowly nodded. "I suppose you are right, nephew. But be very careful. If she escapes, we may not have another chance." Prince Zuko nodded his head once. "Yes Uncle."

Author's Note: Holy ! Excuse me. I wasn't expecting this many reviews. –dances- I'm POPUULLAAAARRR! XDDD Alright so, uh, yeah. I hope you enjoy my fanfic so far and I'm glad that there are Zuko/Katara fans out there. In my opinion, Zuko's kind of cute. His baldness and his scar are kind of weird, though. Yup. So, don't forget to review and tell me what you think of this chapter!


	4. Attack on Their Ship

Chapter Four: **A_ttac_k on Th_e_ir Sh_ip_**

During the next few days, Prince Zuko stayed out of Katara's way so she rarely ever caught even a glimpse of him. Now, servants were bringing her food, clothes, and other things instead of Zuko coming to do it himself. At dinner, she sat at the far side of the table with him sitting in his usual seat. One of his high-ranking firebenders sat where Katara had sat before. Katara felt miserable and yearned to speak to him, or at least be able to see him more. She had terrible dreams every night now about him killing her or something of the sort.

One warm afternoon, Katara was exploring the ship, searching for something to do. Now that Zuko wasn't seeing her anymore, her bedroom door was always unlocked unless she locked it herself. She was walking along an unfamiliar hall and came across numerous doors. All of them were either completely open, or only halfway closed. Quiet mumbling from a closed door caught her attention. She leaned the side of her head to it to listen but couldn't make out what the person was saying. Suddenly, the mumbling stopped and she strained to try and hear anything else.

All of a sudden, the door opened and she came crashing to the floor. Zuko was surprised, but nonetheless caught her before she hit the ground. Her eyes rose to his and they stayed in that position for quite some time. Katara's eyes held a hint of fear. Ever since he stormed away from her, she had missed him. But that didn't mean that she wasn't afraid of his temper. His eyes burned fiercely into hers and he let go of her. Then, he marched off without uttering a single word.

She sighed and brushed herself off carefully. Making her way onto the deck of the rig, her expression became solemn. Someone shoved her into a sack as she exited the building of the ship, taking her by surprise so she screamed loudly. She couldn't believe it. She was being taken away. AGAIN! She shouted and screamed and pounded on the bag but stayed trapped inside. Not too far away, Prince Zuko heard her scream and rushed to the deck. Commander Zhao was dragging her onto his ship with an evil smirk on his face. "Katara!" Zuko desperately yelled and tried to follow them but a row of Zhao's firebenders blocked his way.

Zuko's face burned and fire shot out if his hands. He easily knocked him out. It would have been harder if he wasn't so determined to get back Katara. He convinced himself that he wasn't doing this for her, he was doing it so he could have a chance to get the Avatar. "Katara!" He ran to the edge of the ship but Commander Zhao's was already moving away. Turning, he shouted orders to his men. "Follow them, you idiots!" He growled at the fire benders that were staring blankly at him or were just standing there.

Katara sobbed, curling herself into a ball as she was hauled away by the strangers. It was getting hard for her to breathe because the bag could barely let in any air. She had lost all hope in getting away and listened as the firebenders that had captured her spoke to one another. Soon, the bag was opened and she was tossed into a dark, damp prison cell. The floor was metal and bruises covered her body. Unable to move, she continued to weep her heart out. It was much better when she was on Zuko's ship. Even if he did act coldly toward her, having a nice room and being well-fed was pleasant.

She heard the iron door and slam shut, causing her to shed more and more tears. How did she get into this situation? She should have just escaped from Zuko the first chance she got. Her sobs gradually became sniffles and after a short time, she stopped crying. There was a single, small, barred window way above her head so she could get a little light and some air. Her heart ached for the companionship of Aang and Sokka. It'd even be okay if Zuko was with her. Then she would have someone to share the pain with. She wrapped her arms around herself and huddled in a corner. Her face was moist from crying so hard. She wondered if Aang and Sokka were coming to save her. Or if they even knew that she had gone. Or maybe Zuko would come and rescue her. Deep in her heart, she hoped that Zuko would come instead of her beloved friend and her dear older brother.

Her hand automatically reached up to her neck to feel the smooth fabric of her mother's necklace but she remembered that Zuko had kept it after their encounter with the pirates. She couldn't help but forgive him for this because she was so hopeful that he would be her hero. But her mother's necklace was her most valuable possession so she couldn't help but also be angry with him. She would've felt much calmer if she had the reminder of her mother with her. She stretched out on the solid floor and stared at the strong door locking her away from everything she loved. Her friends, her brother, everything.

Meanwhile, Prince Zuko was tense as she stared at the metal ship in front of him. "Can't any of you steer this ship faster?" He yelled, gripping the railing. The heat from his hands made the metal turn orange but he didn't appear to notice. He was concentrating on the ship. They were gaining on them, and gaining onto Katara. He hoped that they weren't hurting her and if he found her in pain, he vowed to destroy every one of Commander Zhao's men and Commander Zhao.

Uncle Iroh stepped up beside him, shaking his head slightly. "Nephew, you've grown too attached to her. Calm down. I told you not to get too friendly with that girl. She is going to get in the way of your dreams." His eyes stayed on the ship as he spoke. "Unless…That girl is your real dream." He turned his head to look at Zuko with a humorous expression on his face. Zuko's face turned red in embarrassment. "No. She isn't. I just need her to ever have even a slight chance to catch the Avatar. If I don't do this, Father will never allow me to return to our nation. I want desperately to return." He heaved a sigh and let his uncle leave him alone, trapped in his own thoughts. "Remember, Zuko. You must choose only one. She will not allow you to destroy her friend." Those were Iroh's final words before he left.

"I know." Zuko muttered to himself through gritted teeth. He was staring down at the green water below him and he was thinking about this. _Should I choose to turn in the Avatar to the Fire Lord for my own reasons? Or should I win her care by leaving them alone and forever be banished from my own nation?_ It was a hard decision, but he had to choose. He pondered this for a long time, until they caught up to Commander Zhao's ship. He made his final decision. "I know where my loyalty lies." He stated to himself at last. "I know what I should do know. My duty is to one person. And one person only…"


	5. Katara's Hero

Chapter Five: **K_atara_'s H_e_ro**

After making his difficult decision, Zuko turned to face his men. "Get the catapults ready!" He ordered and they scurried off to set up the catapults and dump large boulders on each. Once they had completed this, they used their firebending and set the stone on fire. "FIRE!" He shouted and the fiery boulders flew toward the enemy ship. "Fire!" More flew toward the ship. Several of them were a direct hit. Before long, they were right next to Commander Zhao's ship. Zuko and his fellow firebenders jumped aboard and fought all in sight. He made sure that everyone was kept busy and set off to find Katara.

Katara heard a large crashing sound and felt the ship shake from the blow. She stood and leaned against the cold wall. What was happening? Suddenly, the door slammed open and Commander Zhao stormed in. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her with him. His grip wasn't like Zuko's. Zuko's was much gentler and his hurt her arm. "Help! Help! Help!" She managed to scream before he thrust his hand over her mouth. She struggled to get away but he was stronger. Her eyes started to water when she saw something that she thought she'd never be grateful to see. She saw Zuko running toward them. "Katara!" He took advantage of Zhao's surprise and used his firebending to set the older man's leg on fire.

As Commander Zhao tried to put the fire out, Zuko took Katara's hand and led her outside. "Back to the ship!" He commanded to his men and they jumped back to their ship. "Make sure no one gets aboard!" He protectively pushed Katara behind him and used all his firebending power to keep the enemies from jumping on as they slowly moved away.

Once the other ship was far enough, the prince nodded to his men to stop. He made a small motion with his hand, indicating for Katara to follow. Right now, she was feeling very confused. Not to mention hungry. "Hey." She jogged to catch up with his quick stride. "Why were those people fighting you? Aren't you both from the fire nation?" Zuko glanced at her. His eyes were clouded and cheerless. "Not too long ago. When I was younger, my father cast me out of the nation." Katara held his hand in an attempt to comfort him. She'd never known. It was truly depressing, especially since it was his own father. He continued, "Father never liked me. He always thought that I was a weakling. I thought that if I brought the Avatar to him, he'd welcome me back. Now I know that my father doesn't deserve my respect anymore. I'm not going after the Avatar any longer." (A/N: Yes, that WAS his decision.)

"So. Is that your only reason for not going after Aang anymore?" Katara inquired as they approached her bedroom door. They stopped just in front of it and he secretly slipped his hand in her pocket before crossing letting it drop to his side. She wondered why he had come after her when she had been taken away if he didn't need her anymore. "No." Zuko took both of her thin hands in his own and stared down at them. "Katara." He gathered up as much courage as he could. "Katara I—" He was cut off by one of his men. "Sir." The man said urgently. "The Avatar has arrived." Zuko raised his eyebrows and opened Katara's door. "Stay in there." He murmured and gently pushed her inside before closing the door.

She immediately pressed her ear against the door and heard the two talking quietly as they moved away. Now, she wasn't so sure if he was really going to stop trying to capture Aang. Maybe he was just saying that so she wouldn't be entirely stubborn. When she heard their voices getting distant she reached over to the handle of the door. Despite Zuko's order, she stepped outside and quietly jogged to where she thought they had headed. She heard shouts and ran out to the deck, expecting Prince Zuko and his men to attack all at once.

Instead, she saw Zuko running around, trying to stop his men from catapulting fiery boulders at Aang, Sokka, Appa, and Momo. Eight of them were shot until they finally listened to his commands. "Avatar!" Zuko called out bravely. "I am no longer going to try and capture you anymore. You may leave in peace with your waterbending friend." Aang wasn't listening and Appa landed directly on the boat. "Katara!" He and Sokka shouted in unison. Momo flew up and fell into her arms, purring. (A/N: Do lemurs purr? XD) They all embraced each other in a group hug, squishing Momo. The large-eared lemur was in between the three of them. Zuko felt a wave of jealousy wash over him. Katara had never seemed so happy. He wished that it was him she was happy about.

He gestured for his men to leave and frowned sadly. With a last look at Katara, he entered the ship and closed the door quietly behind him. He would probably never see her again. When she heard the closing of a door, she looked over and saw that they were the remaining people left here. She felt her heart ache and the corners of her mouth drooped down. "Well, then. Let's go!" Aang grinned cheerfully and jumped on Appa. Sokka, Katara, and Momo followed suit. "Yip yip!" Katara leaned on Appa's furry back and sighed. She watched as the fire kingdom rig slowly disappeared. All she could think about was _We never got to say good bye._ Her eyes started to water but she refused to cry.

Sokka, having known her since she was an infant, noticed her sudden sadness. "What's wrong, Katara? Aren't you happy to be away from that awful fire nation ship?" He was beaming with happiness about being reunited with his younger sister. "I…suppose." She sighed and closed her eyes. "I just don't want to talk about it, okay Sokka?" He nodded and scratched his head. He thought that she'd be delighted to get away from the prince dude and his cruel men. Apparently, he was wrong.

They soon reached the island they had been staying at and came to a rest on the ground. "Well, we're here!" Aang jumped off and lay on the warm, sandy beach. It was late and the sun was starting to set. "Better set up our bags." Sokka announced and brought out the bundles of cloth. He laid the three of them out on the sand and grinned. "Let's go fishing before the sun disappears. I'm starving." Katara nodded, not realizing her hunger until now. "Alright." She agreed.

"Come on! I know the perfect place!" Sokka ran and beckoned her to join him at a rocky area of the shore. He grabbed the nearest tall stick and climbed onto the rocks. He looked down as if searching for something. Then, he stopped, picked up a jagged-looking rock, and began to scrap the edge of the stick to sharpen it. "Here." He said to Katara after mere minutes. "I'll show you how it's done." He jumped down to a lower rock and stood perfectly still for a moment. His eyes moved slowly and with a sudden plunge, his stick came up with a wriggling, bleeding fish. "Pretty cool, huh?" He grinned and looked over at his sister, proudly showing her his catch.

Unfortunately, Katara wasn't paying the slightest attention to him. She sat on the smooth surface of a rock and stared down into the shallow water. The only thing on her mind was Zuko. She heaved a sigh and continued to think about him. The way he looked at her, with a serious expression. Even with the scar on his face, she thought that he looked fairly handsome. Just thinking about him made her smile. "Hello? Earth to Katara?" Sokka waved his arms in her face, snapping her out of her trance. "Whatcha smiling about?" He asked curiously. "Oh, nothing." She stood and quickly waterbended a fish from the water. "Let's go." She headed back to their campsite. Sokka's mouth dropped open. "WHAT? It took me forever to catch a fish the first time!" He grumbled to himself and kicked at a rock. Then he slowly sauntered after Katara. She was acting mighty strange lately.

That night, neither Zuko nor Katara could sleep. They stayed awake for hours before sleeping uncomfortably. Katara shivered although it wasn't close to even being cold on the beach while the young teenage prince tossed and turned on his bed. They ended up waking again in early morning and thinking about one another. Their mind told them to go find one another but their body wouldn't let them. One question was on each of their minds. _Will we ever meet again?_

* * *

_Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry I couldn't update my story earlier. My internets been messed up. I hope I didn't anger you. Hehe. I tried to make this chapter longer but I didn't succeed because I'm a lazy bum with no imagination. xDD Thanks to the reviewers and if you have a question you want me to answer, put "QTA" before your post. Thanks again!_


	6. Reunited

Author's Note: xDDD I'm totally continuing it. I don't want anyone to be let down and leave you hanging because of me and my poopish-ness. Hehe. So for not updating. I was working on my new story, Royal Complications. Check it out if you have time! ;D

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Chapter Six: **R_eun_ited**

The next morning was a beautiful day. The birds were chirping happily, the sun shone brightly. It was warm, but not overly stuffy. Too bad Katara was too lost in her thoughts to enjoy it all. "Katara, what's wrong?" Aang moved up next to her. Sokka had gone off with Momo in search of breakfast. He wanted to see if he could find some fruit trees or something. Katara sighed and looked up at Aang. "I don't know…" She hesitated. Should she tell Aang? "Promise to keep this from Sokka?" She asked and he nodded. "Go on. What's troubling you?" Her eyes wandered up to the floating clouds in the sky. "Well…It's just that…" She paused again. "It's just that I miss Zuko." Her voice was barely a whisper. Aang's eyes grew wide. "Reeealllyyy?" He jumped up and laughed loudly. "I knew something was up when he let me go."

Katara didn't seem happy at all. "So. Are you going back to see him?" Aang suddenly became serious. She raised an eyebrow. "How can I do that? Sokka will literally kill the guy if he found out!" She frowned as her eyes lowered to the sand. "Why don't you run away then Katara?" He suggested even though it was probably a stupid idea. "I could. But what about Sokka?" She sighed once more. Sokka was the only thing getting in the way of her and Zuko. "I must tell Sokka." She murmured. "I must tell him so I can go back to Zuko. You understand. Right, Aang?" She looked at him hopefully. Aang grinned. "You bet. After all, you and Sokka did help me a lot."

Soon, Sokka came barging toward them in a cheerful manner. He and Momo were carrying armfuls of fresh apples, peaches, pears, mangos, and bananas. "Look what I found?" He grinned proudly and shoved them at Aang and Katara. "Dig in!" He sat down. Katara and Aang exchanged glances. "Sokka." Katara said. "I need to talk to you." She grabbed his arm and forced him to follow her to the far end of the beach so they could talk alone. "Sokka…" Her voice trailed off as she summoned the courage she needed to tell him what she really thought of Zuko. "Well…" Sokka was starting to get impatient and he was definitely showing. "I haven't got all day, Katara." He groaned.

"I think I like Zuko!" She blurted out in his face and immediately blushed. Sokka looked tremendously surprised for a moment but recovered rapidly. Just as she had expected, he started shouting at her. "HOW COULD YOU LIKE THAT FREAK, KATARA? HE'S BEEN AFTER AANG EVER SINCE WE MET HIM! HE'S THE UGLIEST, DUMBEST JERK EVER AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT! I WOULD'VE THOUGHT THAT YOU WOULD'VE KNOWN BETTER!" He ranted on and on while Katara just stood there and took it, silently crying as he did. He took no notice of her feelings and when he was finished, she ran away into the forest at the edge of the sandy beach.

"Yeah, you better not come back!" He shouted after her with a disgusted look on his face. He turned to see that Aang, Momo, and Appa were staring at him with big eyes. "WHAT?" He screamed angrily at them and they averted their eyes. With a quick glance at the forest, he walked over to his sleeping back and sat on it, putting his chin on his hands. "Who cares about her. Who cares about that ugly dude with the freaky scar." He muttered to himself.

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+ Midnight +

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"Yip-yip." Katara whispered. She had snuck back to camp and decided to go find Zuko herself. If Sokka wasn't going to support her, then no one would. She was sorry that she couldn't say good bye to Momo and Aang, though. As the flying bison moved through the air, Katara kept an eye out for Prince Zuko's distinct ship. Hours passed by with no sign of life in the sea. She had spent all day preparing for this trip and taking long naps whenever she could to keep herself awake and full. Her hand rested on Appa's big head, where the grey arrow was. "Good boy, Appa." She gave him a huge kiss.

Finally, she spotted the ship and clutched the reins tightly as they descended. Appa groaned as they landed and tossed his head back slightly. "Good boy." She jumped off and fed him a pound of fruit. "You can rest now." She patted his forehead and went up to the door that separated the deck from the inside of the ship. First, she tried the door handle. It was locked. She firmly knocked on the door. Footsteps headed toward her and the door opened. The person looked sleepy but gasped when he saw her and grinned broadly. "Katara." He said softly and held her face in his hands. Katara flung her arms around Zuko and started to weep. "I missed you so much!" He embraced her just enough so he didn't crush her. "I missed you too. Did you come with your friends?" He asked.

"No." She replied simply. Zuko raised an eyebrow and took her shoulder. "Oh. Come in, then." He ordered his men to bring Appa into the stable at the other end of the ship and they walked side by side in silence. When they reached the door she had originally stayed in, he opened it. Everything looked exactly as she had left it. "Tell me, Katara." Prince Zuko all of a sudden asked as they sat on the soft bed. "Why did you come? I thought that you had missed your friends when you were staying here."

Katara gazed at her hands. "I did. But Sokka doesn't appreciate the fact that I…" She gulped. "Like you." She looked away from him but could see their reflection in the mirror in front of her. Zuko's face looked serious but his eyes were full of care for her. "I don't like you Katara." He said to her in reply. She felt her heart break as he said this, but was soon mended when he added to his comment. "I love you." He carefully turned her head so he could look her in the face. She smiled a little and whispered. "I love you too." She rested her head on his chest, his arms wrapped around her body to keep her warm. For the rest of the night, they sat there. Katara slept leaning against Zuko while he stayed awake all night, satisfied with his life now.

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Author's Note: No, this isn't the end of the story yet. Several more chapters coming :DD Review and I'll love you forever! xDDD 


	7. Joined Again

Author's Note: Alright, I FINALLY got around to making a new ending. I think this one's better than the last. Thanks again to all my reviewers! Love you all.

This ending won't be as happy because I have no idea whatsoever how it /can/ be happy. Sokka's too much off a stubborn egghead. It's actually the same for the first paragraphs, because I didn't want to write… Sorry.

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Chapter Seven: **Jo_ine_d Ag_ai_n**

"Come on, Sokka! We have to go after her!" Aang shook Sokka awake once he discovered that she had run away. He needed to find her. Not that he knew why he did. He just did. "Why should we?" Sokka grumbled sleepily. "She's the one that is in love with that stupid princey dude. Besides, she took Appa. How're we supposed to find her without Appa? No doubt she went to find the firebenders. Katara has always been trouble. Now leave me in peace, will you?"

Aang suddenly became depressed. "Oh yeah. She did take Appa, didn't she?" He sat on a rock and looked back at the lump of sleeping bag that was Sokka. "Hey, Momo and I will fly over the water and look for Zuko's ship. You can stay here and sleep. Okay?" Sokka mumbled a yes and was motionless after that. Besides his heaving chest from the snores he now produced. Aang rolled his eyes and threw Momo in the air. "Come on buddy!" He took his stick, opened it, and took a running start before he sailed through the air. He grinned and gave a loud laugh as they flew higher. Soon, the island became a blur in the distance. Momo made chattering noises as they approached Prince Zuko's ship. It seemed to actually be heading to the island they had just come from.

The two swooped down and landed on the deck. "THE AVATAR!" A firebender shouted and grabbed Aang and Momo. "Prince Zuko will be pleased." He smirked and dragged them to the captain's quarters. He swung the door open to find Uncle Iroh sitting with a cup of tea. "Where's Zuko? I've captured the Avatar and his monkey. "What?" Aang protested. "This here is a lemur! Not a monkey!" Momo made funny noises as if in agreement. The man looked down at them. "Monkey, lemur. Same thing." Iroh watched them carefully and said, "Give the lemur to me. Then take the boy to my nephew. He's in his room with a girl." A small smile came across his lips as he said this.

"Alright then." The man handed over the lemur and nervously walked out of the room. Before he left, he asked "Are you sure I'm not disturbing something?" Uncle Iroh shook his head. "No, no. Go right ahead. Zuko won't mind." He gave an encouraging grin and hand gesture. "Now." He turned to the lemur. "Momo is it? Would you like some fruit?" He took a pear out of his sleeve and gave it to the grateful Momo who immediately started devouring it. "Hungry, are you?" Iroh chuckled and patted him on the head.

Meanwhile, Aang and the firebender had reached Zuko's room. The firebender knocked loudly and moments later, the door opened and Zuko stood there, looking sleepy. "What do you w—" His eyes widened when he saw Aang. "Avatar." He murmured. "You'll be happy to know that I captured him myself." The firebender grinned smugly. "Yeah, yeah. You may have your reward later." Zuko drawled and shooed him away. "Come in, Avatar. Katara has been worried sick about you." Aang rushed inside and found her lying in his bed, sound asleep. "Katara." Aang whispered and prodded her gently. "What." She opened her eyes and grinned when she saw him. "Aang!" She joyously embraced him. "Aang I was so worried!" He laughed and smiled as well. "That's what Zuko told me." "Where's Sokka?" Katara gazed past her airbender friend to look for her brother. "He stayed at the island. I'm pretty sure he's still sleeping." Her happiness seemed to fade away now. "Oh. Well if he doesn't want to come and see me, that's his problem." She sighed and managed to gain her happiness back again. "Thanks so much, Zuko!" She looked over at the door, but he was gone. "Zuko?" She got out of bed and walked into the hallway. It was empty. "He must've gone somewhere else." Aang guessed, although he was as puzzled as she was.

A distant yell came to their ears and they rushed out to the deck. "Sokka, stop!" Zuko yelled wrestling off Katara's brother. "It's all your fault!" Sokka shouted back and punched him in the face. A small stream of blood tickled down from Zuko's nose. "YOU BOTH STOP RIGHT NOW!" Katara screamed at the top of her lungs. The two teenage boys stopped and turned to look at her. "Katara, you're okay!" Sokka laughed cheerfully and hugged her tightly. They exchanged apologies as Aang and Zuko watched. "How'd Sokka get here?" Aang whispered to himself. Katara had taken Appa and Sokka couldn't fly. As if reading his mind, Sokka explained that Appa had flown to the island and brought him here.

Prince Zuko stood glaring at Aang and Sokka. "Look, the only reason I'm not going to hurt you right now is because you're Katara's brother. I won't hurt you, but you have to get the hell off my ship." Sokka instantly became angry and shouted back. "We're not leaving without my sister!" He and the firebending prince stood in each other's faces, glowering at each other.

"Fine, if you guys can't get along, there's not reason for me live." Katara stood near the railing of the ship and leaned over. She stared back at the three. They ceased their fighting. "Katara, stop. Suicide is not the answer." Aang tried to reason with her. Katara sighed and glanced down at the ocean, then back at them. "I won't hold back. If you guys can't cooperate, I can't live with you." She had a serious expression on her face. "Okay, okay. I'll act at least civilized to Mr. Princey here." Sokka rolled his eyes and held out his hand. Zuko agreed and they shook hands. "Okay, that's better." Katara smiled and walked toward them.

Both Zuko and Sokka looked uneasy not fighting, but they managed a smile each. "So you're okay with me and Katara?" Zuko rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess." Sighed Sokka, smiled a bit. "Katara does know what's best for her." Aang grinned cheerfully. "Yep!" Katara looked at each and every one of their faces. "Thanks you guys. I really love you all!"

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Author's Note: Okay, so I hope you liked this newer ending better. Please review and tell me what you think. 


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